Why do I fight with the people I love? Why am I failing my classes?
Why is it so hard for me to make friends?

A new book, Assessing Children in the Urban Community, edited and written by WestCoast staff, describes our collaborative approach to helping children answer questions like these through psychological assessment.

Psychological assessment can help us understand why a child is experiencing difficulty. At WestCoast, the child and family are full collaborators in all aspects of assessment. At the end, we write a story for the child that answers their questions and showcases the experiences that shape who they are. One girl said:

 “Did you write this story for me? It sounds just like me. I told my foster parents and the teacher about it because I think they should know.”

We are proud of our current and former staff for publishing this book about their transformative work with children and families. We hope the book can serve as a resource for psychologists, therapists, and others in the mental health field who work with children. It can be purchased at Amazon.com.